Apex Legends PC controller aim assist

In all of gaming, there perhaps hasn't been a gameplay balancing debate that's continued to exist so prominently as long as that regarding aim assist in Apex Legends.

Since the game's initial launch in 2019, two points appear to have been established with the Apex community: there is no aim assist on mouse and keyboard, and controller on PC aim assist is not as strong as controller on console aim assist.

According to a recent leak, however, it appears that this dynamic could be receiving a shake-up soon.

Custom lobbies in Apex Legends have changed the verbiage for Aim Assist on console and pc override values. Changes coming? pic.twitter.com/fZMM5lYTUr

— GG Thordan Smash (@Thordansmash) June 18, 2022

As posted on Twitter on June 18 by content creator Thordan Smash, it appears the game's files have been changed so that custom lobbies can have an aim assist override enabled that makes console players use the weaker PC aim assist values.

It is unclear whether or not this is intended to be just a new custom lobby setting or full-on testing to possibly bring the change over to the full game.

Ultimately, a lot of chatter has taken place over the years as to why it's important that console players have a stronger aim assist value than those that use controller on PC.

The main point is that since console players are locked on 60 FPS, as compared to those who are able to play uncapped, forcing them to use the PC aim assist value would be unfair as the effect wouldn't be as strong.

This seemed to be the case in November 2021 when a glitch caused console players to play on the PC aim assist value, to which many complained they just couldn't hit shots.

It is interesting to note that the Next-Gen upgrade for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S did come out this March, but it still lacks the ability to run the game at 120 FPS.

As such, perhaps once those on next-gen consoles are able to play on 120 FPS, and if the custom lobby testing goes right, it seems could see Respawn Entertainment equalize the aim assist values across the board to match the one used on PC.

Back in January, Respawn live balance designer John Larson mentioned in a TwitLonger that the devs are "actively evaluating" aim assist tuning, so it will be interesting to see if this leak turns out to be anything substantial down the line.

Of course, there is also the debate as to whether or not the PC controller aim assist value is too strong itself, at least in the eyes of MnK players, but that's a topic for another day it seems.

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Apex Legends PC controller aim assist

Apex Legends PC controller aim assist

What’s better for FPS games: a controller or mouse and keyboard? It’s a question that’s been asked a lot since the rise of battle royale games. If there were no such thing as aim assist, mouse and keyboard might reign supreme for precise aiming. However, in crossplay games like Apex Legends, there’s something called aim assist to even things up for controller players. Here’s a rundown on how to toggle aim assist and explain the difference between PC and Default Target Compensation Style in Apex Legends.

Apex Legends players who use a controller on PC or console will automatically have aim assist turned on. Some players may not like the feel of the aim assist mode or prefer to play without it altogether. There are now ways to toggle between two aim assist styles, PC or Default, in Apex Legends, in addition to being able to turn it off completely. 

Apex Legends players using controllers can follow these steps to turn off Aim Assist:

  1. Launch Apex Legends.
  2. Open the Settings menu.
  3. Navigate to the Controller tab.
  4. Select Advanced Look Controls.
  5. Turn off Target Compensation.

Target Compensation influences look input when aiming at targets. It is another way of saying “aim assist.” You can turn this setting off to disable aim assist entirely. In doing so, you will need to aim entirely manually, which will prove much more difficult on a controller than a mouse and keyboard. 

If you do not want to run off aim assist entirely but prefer slightly weaker assistance, you can change the Target Compensation Style. There are two options to choose from: PC and Default. The option is only visible to players on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

Apex Legends PC controller aim assist

What is the difference between PC and Default Target Compensation Style

The difference between PC and Default Target Compensation Style is the aim assist value. Console players essentially get 50% more aim assist than PC players using controllers. The main reasoning behind this is that PC players have, on average, better framerates and performance than console players. Therefore, providing more aim assistance for controller players on consoles should theoretically even things out a bit. 

Console versus PC aim assist is a big point of contention amongst the competitive Apex Legends community. Things get a little fuzzy when you consider console players can choose whether or not they want to play in PC lobbies, whereas PC players have no option. It’s common to see a team of three utilizing two console controller players and one PC controller player.

At the end of the day, if you want a weaker lock-on style aim assist, you can try out the PC style Target Compensation Style. Some people tend to prefer it because it feels smoother. Remember, though, by default, console (or default) aim assist is 50% stronger than PC, so it will take some adjusting if you are making the switch.

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Is there aim assist in Apex Legends PC controller?

Respawn Entertainment Aim assist is only available for players using a controller. Whether you're on PC or console, as long as you're using a controller, the game will usually automatically turn on aim assist.

Is Apex aim assist on PC the same as console?

Console has a 0.6 value factor for aim assist, aka, 60% for every millisecond you aim at your target. On PC, that value is 0.4, or 40%. That's a different of 0.2, 20%, meaning console has a total of 50% higher aim assist value than PC does.

How does apex controller aim assist?

In summary, AA does two things. (1) It slows your reticle as you are moving your right stick to try to keep your reticle over the enemy's bubble. And (2) it moves your reticle in an attempt to track the enemy's bubble, reacting to their changes in direction far faster than the average gamer.

Is Aim assist weaker on PC apex?

Since the game's initial launch in 2019, two points appear to have been established with the Apex community: there is no aim assist on mouse and keyboard, and controller on PC aim assist is not as strong as controller on console aim assist.